Family Friendly
The world’s largest lake is now among the fastest warming lakes on the planet. A Sea Change for Lake Superior takes a fresh look at Lake Superior’s natural and cultural legacy, how the lake is fairing in a time of unprecedented change, and how citizens can help mitigate today’s problems and those that the future portends.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick
Cutting-edge underwater drones explore how quadrillions of tiny invasive quagga mussels are re-engineering the ecosystem of the Great Lakes at a scale not seen since the glaciers. Part scientific exploration, part natural history adventure – the film shines a spotlight on freshwater wildlife and environments like never before.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, Has Subtitles
Migration season is when the Chicago Collision Bird Monitors are the busiest, looking for birds that have flown into windows, as Mother Nature literally slams into the urban environment. Broken Flight introduces us to the volunteers, scientists and veterinarians who rescue, study and catalog these amazing avian species.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere
The Leelanau Conservancy’s long-running, highly trusted water quality program. This video profiles Chase Heise of the Leelanau Conservancy as we venture out onto Lake Leelanau to learn more about their water quality program that has been operating continuously for over 30 years, and the overall health of our freshwater lakes in northern Michigan.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Subject in Attendance
Interviews with tribal knowledge holders about Manoomin (wild rice) during a 6 day workshop/ gathering in Baraga, Michigan
Filmmaker in Attendance, World Premiere
What’s a tree worth? From the point of view of a city forester, an ecologist, a firewood harvesting hobbyist, a professor and a philanthropist, we learn about the different relationships people have with their urban forest. Money Tree explores the tangible and intangible values and the importance of this urban biodiversity that often goes unnoticed.
Family Friendly
In the rivers that flow through our neighborhoods lives an unseen but important creature: the freshwater mussel. These mussels perform key ecosystem services, including a remarkable capacity to filter and clean water. Once almost extinct and now struggling to make a comeback in DuPage County’s urban waterways, freshwater mussels need help.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker
Embark on an eye-opening journey through the unseen impacts of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes region. Guided by Dr. Sherri Mason and other regional voices, witness the vast extent of contamination pathways, effects of microplastics, and the unexpected toll on human health. Beyond individual action, the film inspires a collective movement for transformative progress toward a plastic-free future.
Michigan Premiere, Staff Pick
Between the Ohio and Mississippi riverbanks sit the United States’ 15th International Wetland of Importance. Yet, the wetlands today are mere remnants of their original borders. Max Hutchison is a naturalist, ecologist, zoologist, and lifelong voice for preserving the wetlands he also calls home. The Careist is an ode to Max, a way of life, and a natural area long overlooked and daring to disappear forever.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Staff Pick
THE FISH THIEF: A Great Lakes Mystery, formerly known as RELENTLESS, is a captivating mystery that engages the audience in a battle for the survival of the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth, the Great Lakes. This fascinating true story, narrated by Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons, follows remarkable people tackling the mystery of why the most prized fish nearly vanished. The crash destroyed jobs and businesses, and devastated towns, tribal communities, and First Nations across the region.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Representative in Attendance, Staff Pick
On a mission to clean up Ohio’s leaking, abandoned coal mines, Ohio University Art Professor John Sabraw teams up with an environmental engineer to develop a process that turns the toxic runoff pollution into paint. John’s artwork has been shown all over the world and proceeds have helped numerous environmental organizations and projects, including a new water treatment plant on the Sunday Creek Watershed in southeastern Ohio.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere
Spearfishing workshops for all ages facilitated by the Keweenaw Bay Indian community Natural Resource Department.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, First Time Filmmaker, Representative in Attendance, Staff Pick
Troubled Water is an exhilarating adventure, conservation film that beckons viewers to follow along on a transformative journey down the stunning coast of Lake Michigan. As the journey unfolds, the film unveils the significance of the Line 5 pipeline issue, the dire need for collective action and the historic precedent that this movement would establish. If successfully shutdown, it would become the first active pipeline in US history to be terminated before it ruptures.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, Family Friendly
An Unangax scientist, delves into her vital research concerning toxic algal blooms affecting filter feeding shellfish—a staple Indigenous food for her people, illuminates the profound connection between the Unangax people and their environment, showcasing the resilience and resourcefulness of a culture in the face of unprecedented challenges.